Indian women’s cricket captain Mithali Raj said the forthcoming limited-over series in Sri Lanka is significant as her team looks to get as many ranking points as possible.
In an exclusive chat with The Hindu after a training session at St. John’s Coaching Foundation under the guidance of mentor-cum-coach R.S.R. Murthy here on Wednesday, Mithali felt the last few months have not been good for women’s cricket.
“It is important to regroup and get back the confidence again as the T20 World Cup is scheduled in November. In this context, the Sri Lanka series is very important,” the 35-year-old Mithali said.
She felt the spinners were a bit stagnated and not as penetrative as they should have been in the recent past.
“With the new coach (Ramesh Powar) himself being a spinner, I am sure his experience will help our tweakers as we depend heavily on them in all formats. The Sri Lanka series will also be important in terms of knowing where we stand, what is the composition we should have and accordingly use these matches to prepare for the World Cup.”
On her career, Mithali said she is taking it year by year. “I would like to continue as long as I am fit and able to contribute to the team.”
“I don’t know really what keeps me going. But, it is obvious that the team needs to be settled.
“That way, I feel we should not struggle in ODIs. It takes time to find the right combination which can last longer. Probably, till that time I will hold on.”